Settlers strip captured town

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 December 1997, 23:59 GMT]Reports from Vavuniya said today that the army and Sinhala settlers in the military colonisation scheme of Manalaaru (renamed as Weli Oya by army) have ransacked the abandoned town of Nedunkerni which was captured in early June during the first phase of Operation Jayasikurui.

Sources said that houses have been destroyed and valuable timber and other goods along with bricks and tiles have been removed.

A large number of valuable trees in the area have been cut down for timber and removed they said.

This has been the case in the once thriving Tamil villages of Kumulamunai, Thennamaravadi further south of Nedunkerni.

The Sinhala settlers in Manalaaru ransacked these villages for timber , bricks, tiles, furniture and other housing material when they were abandoned by people almost overnight due to Sri Lankan army action in the mid eighties.